Guides
Practical know-how for Swiss trade businesses: from the quote through the QR invoice to the hourly rate. Short, concrete and jargon-free.
Provider comparison
Eight trade software providers, with pricing and feature scope.
Hourly rate calculator
Enter your costs and hours, read off the rate that covers them.
Builder's lien deadline calculator
Enter the completion date, read the last day to register the lien.
VAT 2028 calculator
What the planned higher standard rate from 2028 would mean for your quotes.
Quote template
Complete quote following Swiss convention, saveable as a PDF.
Invoice template
Invoice with every mandatory detail and VAT at 8.1 %.
AI in the trades: where it helps day to day and where you decide
Drafting a quote, wording a payment reminder, reading receipts: seven concrete tasks where AI saves time for Swiss trade businesses, with example prompts and three things you should never hand over.
Read moreLandscaping quotes in Switzerland: full example, template and 2026 prices
What belongs in a landscaping quote, a fully costed example for a 250 m2 garden, observed 2026 price ranges and what the Swiss CO says about overruns.
Read moreSwiss VAT increase 2028: what trade businesses need to change in quotes and contracts
Parliament plans to raise the standard rate to 8.5% from 2028, subject to the vote on 29 November 2026. What that means for your quotes, works contracts and partial invoices.
Read moreIndicative quote: what it is, when it binds you and how to write one
An indicative quote is the non-binding ballpark before the on-site measurement. When it binds anyway, how to word it, with a worked example and email.
Read moreAdvance Payments and Partial Invoices: Cash Flow for Trade Businesses
How to agree advance payments, issue partial invoices correctly, and bill the final invoice transparently, so the money arrives before wages fall due.
Read moreBuilder's Lien in Switzerland: Deadline, Requirements and How to File
Four months after completing the work, it's over: how Swiss trade businesses use the builder's lien before the deadline runs out.
Read moreDigitizing a Flooring Business: Fast Turnarounds, Clean Handovers
Short jobs, many sites, tight scheduling chains: the digitization roadmap for flooring installers, from measuring up to handover at tenant changeover.
Read moreBookkeeping for Trade Businesses: What Your Accountant Actually Needs
Simplified or double-entry bookkeeping? Which obligations apply to Swiss trade businesses, and how clean prep work saves you money on accountant fees.
Read moreDigitizing a Roofing Business: Weather Windows, Emergency Callouts, Insurance Claims
Document storm damage, use weather windows, tie up materials early: the digitization roadmap for roofers and roofing contractors.
Read moreDigitizing an Electrical Business: Service Jobs Without the Paper Chase
Many small jobs, lots of material, lots of time-and-materials work: the digitization roadmap for electricians, from callouts to the final invoice.
Read moreWarranty and Remedial Work: Rights and Duties Under a Contract for Work
What trade businesses owe on defect claims, what deadlines apply under Swiss law and SIA Standard 118, and how an acceptance record and documentation protect you.
Read moreDigitizing a Landscaping Business: Managing Season, Maintenance and Weather
Maintenance contracts, seasonal peaks, and outdoor jobs: the digitization roadmap for gardeners and landscapers, from spring rush to winter lull.
Read moreStarting a Trade Business in Switzerland: Sole Proprietorship or LLC?
Legal form, registrations, insurance, and the first business decisions: the startup roadmap for tradespeople in Switzerland.
Read moreDigitizing a Plastering Business: Keeping Pace Between Shell Construction and Painters
Drywall and plaster on the construction schedule: the digitization roadmap for plastering businesses, from honest measurements to variation claims with the general contractor.
Read moreChoosing Trade Business Software in Switzerland: What Actually Matters
QR invoicing, VAT, accountant export, data location: the checklist small trade businesses use to find the right software without buying wrong.
Read moreDigitizing a Heating Business: Service Contracts, Winter Peaks, Retrofit Boom
Service calls in winter, heat pump retrofits in summer, maintenance contracts year-round: the digitization roadmap for heating installers.
Read moreApprentices in a Trade Business: Requirements, Costs, Daily Life
What it takes to train apprentices in the trades: training permit, trainer course, wage costs, and how apprentices become productive in daily operations.
Read moreWriting a Payment Reminder: Template and Deadlines for Tradespeople
From a friendly nudge to debt collection: the proven dunning process for Swiss trade businesses, with text templates for every stage.
Read moreGoing digital as a painting business: a practical plan, no IT project
From paper notes to a digital painting business in four weeks: which workflows to tackle first, what they buy you, and what you can safely skip.
Read moreGoing digital as a metalwork business: one-off jobs and B2B reality
Design, fabrication, installation and long payment terms: the digitalisation plan for metalworkers and locksmiths.
Read moreVAT for tradespeople in Switzerland: rates, duties and how to file
When your business becomes liable for VAT, which rate applies, what the flat tax rate method gets you, and how to file without a headache.
Read moreHow to write a quote: guide, example and template for tradespeople
How a Swiss trade business writes a quote: a seven-step guide, three fully costed example quotes, a text template, and the difference from a cost estimate and an indicative quote.
Read moreGoing digital as a tiling business: clean invoicing as a subcontractor
Many sites, tight schedules, often working as a subcontractor: the digitalisation plan for tilers, from m2 costing to protecting yourself against the general contractor.
Read moreWriting invoices as a tradesperson: mandatory details in Switzerland
These details belong on a trade invoice: from the UID to VAT to the payment deadline. Plus practical tips so you get paid faster.
Read moreCreating a QR invoice: how the Swiss QR invoice works
QR-IBAN, QR reference, payment slip and printing: what trade businesses need to know about the QR invoice, why banks reject payment slips, and how to create a correct QR invoice in minutes.
Read moreSeasonal planning in the trades: getting through winter without a cash hole
Smooth out seasonal workload, plan your cash flow, use the quiet season productively: seasonal planning for Swiss trade businesses.
Read moreGoing digital as a joinery: workshop and installation in one flow
Cost custom pieces, track workshop time, invoice installation: the digitalisation plan for joineries running their own production.
Read moreCalculating your hourly rate: what tradespeople need to charge in Switzerland
Step by step to a cost-covering hourly rate: billable hours, full costs, profit margin. With a worked example for a small business.
Read moreTime tracking in the trades: legal duty, practice and billable hours
What the Swiss Labour Act requires of trade businesses, what relief rules apply, and how time tracking brings more revenue onto the invoice as a side effect.
Read moreGoing digital as a plumbing business: from emergency calls to bathroom renovations
Emergency callouts, repairs and bathroom renovations in one system: the digitalisation plan for plumbing businesses, with a focus on service work and ordering fixtures.
Read moreGoing digital as a carpentry business: project work from timber-cutting to installation
Long projects, big sums, workshop plus site: the digitalisation plan for carpentry and timber construction businesses.
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